Arlene McFadden, 55, left a lengthy suicide note that was found lying on her chest. The note said Mrs. McFadden had decided to kill her husband, Lester, 47, and herself because he had beaten her and had just lost a lot of money in a real estate deal, deputies said.

Lester McFadden, who worked for Page Avjet Corp., an Orlando charter flight service, was last seen alive at work Oct. 19, said Randy Means of the sheriff's office. On Oct. 20, his boss called the sheriff's office and asked deputies to check on the couple because McFadden hadn't shown up that day, according to sheriff's reports.

Deputy C.R. Wint checked the house at 5433 Silent Brook Drive. It was locked and both of the McFaddens' cars were there. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Deputies are forbidden by law from going into a home in that situation unless they have permission from the owner or probable cause to believe something is wrong, Means said.

''We get a lot of those 'check the welfare of' calls,'' he said. ''People haven't seen somebody for two or three days and they want us to go check on them. But we can't forcibly enter unless we have a good reason.''

About two or three days later, Lester's boss again asked the sheriff's office to check the house because McFadden still had not shown up at work. A second deputy checked, with the same results, Means said. Sheriff's officials would not release the date of the second call or the name of the deputy who checked.

Early Tuesday, after answering an unrelated prowler call in the neighborhood, Wint again decided to check the couple's house. On the front step he smelled a foul odor. That was enough probable cause for him to call the Orange County Fire Department and break into the house, Means said.

Lester McFadden was on a bed. His wife was lying on her back in a second bedroom, a small-caliber pistol next to her and the note on her chest.

Neighbors in the new subdivision said the couple, who had been married five years, moved in last April but had no friends there. McFadden occasionally could be seen gardening. His wife rarely ventured outside, they said.

''I guess that's one reason nobody suspected anything,'' said Lillian Fettow, who lives across the street. ''They were so reclusive. We tried to talk to them. It's scary to think they were in there dead for so long.''